What is it about?

In the past few decades, many scholars are describing shifts in conceptions of what it means to be a "good citizen" and how a good citizen should behave. This changes have occurred alongside technological developments around new media, yet the relationship between these two shifts is not clear. This article describes the emerging paradigm of "alternative citizenship models" and parses out the role played by new media within changes in conceptions of citizenship.

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Why is it important?

Citizenship seems to be shifting, and yet democratic institutions are slow to acknowledge or adapt to such changes. Acknowledging new ways in which people conceive citizenship can help support their civic practices. Understanding the role played by new media in this process can help employ new media as an effective tool for civic action and education.

Perspectives

I've been fascinated by shifts in conceptions of citizenship for years, ever since I first read Lance Bennett's work on the shift from dutiful to self-actualizing citizenship. I've since discovered many more theorists who propose similar ideas, yet they haven't been in conversation with each other and don't necessarily read each other's work. Identifying a paradigm of "alternative citizenship models" helps us connect the dots, and see the similarities and differences in the different "new" citizenship models suggested by scholars, as we're all trying to make sense of the shifting civic landscape.

Dr Neta Kligler-Vilenchik
Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Read the Original

This page is a summary of: Alternative citizenship models: Contextualizing new media and the new “good citizen”, New Media & Society, June 2017, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/1461444817713742.
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